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Contribute your thesis

The University maintains a collection of online ANU theses in its  Open Research repository . The University supports the wide dissemination of ANU research into the academic and wider community, and all theses deposited in Open Research appear in the National Library of Australia's Trove service and are discoverable by search engines such as Google.

Your thesis is a major research output, and there are  many benefits to making your thesis available open access .

To support the University's commitment to open access to research, the University requires a copy of all Higher Degree by Research student theses and all Undergraduate Honours theses receiving a mark of First Class, to be deposited in Open Research .

NOTE: If you have submitted your thesis via the Thesis Submission eform in ISIS please do not use this form, as your thesis will be automatically deposited in to Open Research once your award has been granted. For further information please refer to  Submitting a thesis.

Requesting permission

It is your responsibility to request permission for third-party materials that you wish to appear in the online version of your thesis.  You should allow a significant amount of time for the request process, as it often takes many months to confirm permissions.

Your requests to copyright owners for permission should explain that the work will be included in a thesis that is required to be made publicly available online. Contact details are often included on publishers' web sites and forms for copyright permission requests are occasionally available as well.

If no form is provided, this ANU template  can be used to request permission.

You should retain copies of permissions for your own records. Copies of permissions do not need to be submitted to ANU.

If permission has not been obtained by the time your thesis is to be submitted to Open Research, please remove the materials for which permission was not received from the public version of your thesis. In the place of the redacted material/s, you may include a short statement, such as:  Figure (Text/Chart/Diagram etc.) has been removed due to copyright restrictions.”  

If possible, include a reference or a link to the source of the material to enable readers to access the removed content.

Thesis by publication

If you are submitting or have submitted your thesis by publication, you must obtain publishers' permission to include each publication in the public version of your thesis in ANU Open Research. Often in your agreement with the journal or book publisher, you have assigned them all rights to the work, although each publisher's policy differs.

When submitting your request to the publisher:

• Check to see if the publisher has an online permission form on their website
• If the publisher does not have a form, this ANU template  can be used to request permission
• Tell them the amount of the work you wish to use
• State clearly that you are seeking permission to use the work for non-commercial purposes
• Be conscious that the copyright owner has the right to say no
• Be aware that a copyright owner may charge a fee or ask you to sign a licence agreement
• Allow plenty of time, as it may take months for the permission to be granted

If permission has not been obtained at the time your thesis is submitted, please remove the materials for which permission was not received from the public version of your thesis. In the place of the redacted materials, you may include a short statement, such as: " Publication has been removed due to copyright restrictions.”  

Restricting access to your thesis

If you wish to restrict access to all, or part of your thesis you can elect to do so, for up to 12 months, as part of the online submission process. If, after that period, you require an extension to that restriction you will need to make a new application. In the case of a Higher Degree by Research thesis, approval is required from the Dean, Higher Degree Research and can be sought by filling out an Extension of Thesis Restriction of Access Request Form  or emailing  [email protected]  If approved, the Open Research team will be notified and restrict access to the online version of your thesis in line with the decision made.

For an Undergraduate Honours thesis, please send an email to the Head of School, detailing the reasons for the extension of the restriction and the time period being sought. If your request for an extension is approved please send a copy of the approval email to [email protected] and we will action the restriction approval accordingly.

Concerns over publication refusal and plagiarism

Increasingly publishers across a range of disciplines are willing to accept submission for books, or journal articles, where the associated thesis is available via open access. This is also been proven by a number of studies:

• Ramirez et al, 2013 (PDF, 467.75 KB)
• McMillan et al 2011 (PDF, 820.54 KB)  

It is also worthwhile noting that by publishing your thesis open access it will make it available to more potential publishers, as indicated by Harvard University Press Assistant Editor Brian Distelberg in his blog posting ' Can't Find It, Can't Sign It: On Dissertation Embargoes ' 

"I'm always looking out for exciting new scholarship that might make for a good book, whether in formally published journal articles and conference programs, or in the conversation on Twitter and in the history blogosphere, or in conversations with scholars I meet. And so, to whatever extent open access to a dissertation increases the odds of its ideas being read and discussed more widely, I tend to think it increases the odds of my hearing about them."

ANU graduate Barbara Dawson successfully published a book  through the prestigious ANU Press, based on her PhD thesis " In the eye of the beholder : representations of Australian Aborigines in the published works of colonial women writers '

Depositing your thesis in an open access repository such as the University's Open Research repository establishes your identity as the author and makes it much more difficult for others to claim your work as their own. 

Useful videos and blog posts

• Harvard Professors Gary King and Stuart Shieber provide  advice to graduate students  on the benefits of open access, in particular for theses (dissertations).
• If you wish to publish a book from your thesis the blog post  It's a Dissertation not a Book  by Leonard Cassuto provides advice on the rewriting process for books from theses. 
• If you are wondering whether it’s better to make dissertations open access immediately or embargo them look at Dissertation Dilemma: To Embargo or Not to Embargo? By Shawn Smith-Cruz
• Randy Schmidt, Senior Editor at University of British Colombia Press, provides advice on "how to turn a thesis into a book"

Reference documents

• McMillan et al, 2011 (PDF, 820.54 KB)
• ANU Copyright Permission Request form (DOCX, 43.57 KB)
• ANU Thesis by publication permission form (DOCX, 39.02 KB)
• Extension of Thesis Restriction of Access Request Form (PDF, 103.66 KB)
• Permission to Deposit Honours or Masters thesis (PDF, 60.56 KB)

Use contact details to request an alternative file format.

• Open access policy
• Open access procedure

Related links

• Research Student Milestones
• Your ORCID iD and ANU
• ReseacherID
• ProQuest Dissertations and Master’s Theses Traditional Publishing Agreement

• Contact ANU
• Freedom of Information

+61 2 6125 5111 The Australian National University, Canberra TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12002 (Australian University) CRICOS Provider : 00120C ABN : 52 234 063 906

ANU world-class theses collection available online

Providing open access to our ANU theses collection will expand engagement with our research, provide visibility to the ground-breaking work being done, and support the careers of the ANU academic community

Students and academics at the Australian National University have been producing significant and original research since the university first opened.

Much of this research was put forward in PhD and higher degree research theses – covering a wide range of topics, across many disciplines. These theses have made a huge impact to the economy, society, environment and culture beyond their contribution to academia.

ANU Provost Professor Mike Calford believes that ANU research has had an extraordinary impact around the world.

“One of the roles of a university is to transform society with our research,” said Professor Calford.

“I am very proud of the research generated by The Australian National University. The stock of knowledge produced by our researchers generates new ideas, revolutionises technology and helps to transform society.”

“But above that, I am incredibly proud of our students. ANU has produced not only world-class research, but world-class researchers, practitioners, academics and business people who have made important and transformative contributions to the community.”

The ANU Library has digitised the entire collection of theses developed by ANU PhD and research higher degree students. All those without restrictions have been made available online through the Open Research Repository , to increase their accessibility and research impact.

This is part of the University’s continued commitment to digitisation and providing access to our world-class research.

Professor Calford recognises the importance of the research recorded in the theses collection.

“We can clearly see the huge influence that ANU theses have made to modern research. Just last year we had over 935,000 downloads of ANU theses, and almost 90% of these were downloaded by researchers outside Australia.”

“This project will see research once largely hidden from view being exposed to people from all around the world. By making our unique and original research available in an open access collection, we boost research knowledge.”

University Librarian Roxanne Missingham is excited about the possibilities of greater access to ANU research.

“Providing open access to our ANU theses collection will expand engagement with our research, provide visibility to the ground-breaking work being done, and support the careers of the ANU academic community,” said Roxanne Missingham.

“We are also reducing barriers to access information. This will assist not only researchers, but those who are able to benefit from the outcomes of the research.”

The ANU Library will be showcasing some of the 13,000+ theses that you can now access online through the Open Research repository.

You will be able to see new theses online following the introduction of a new digital system to support higher degree students in the University.

You can search and browse to find a wealth of research in the ANU Library theses collection .

Other stories you might like to read

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Thesis Submission and Examinations eForm support

Student administration eForms staff support

• » Degree Management eForms support
• » HDR Milestones eForm support
• » Thesis Submission and Examinations eForm support

There are several eForms which fall under the Thesis Submission and Examinations banner, including the:

• Notification of Intent to Submit milestone,
• Thesis Submission milestone,
• Thesis Distribution and Examination eForm, and
• Thesis Correction eForm.

Together, these eForms allow staff and students to manage every stage of Thesis Submission and Examination through a centralised and streamlined online system. For user and support guides and videos, please see below.

Support Videos

Notification of intent to submit.

• Overview Video
• Video A - Notification of Intent to Submit - Candidate and Primary Supervisor
• Video B - Nomination of Examiners - HDR Admin, Primary Supervisor, Delegated Authority
• Video C - Final Approvals and Processing - Associate Dean, Dean HDR, Examinations Office

Thesis Submission, Examination and Corrections

• Candidate Video
• Examiner Video
• Delegated Authority and Associate Dean Video

Notification of Intent to Submit support guides

• Detailed Support Guide (PDF, 5.38 MB)
• Approvals Workflow (PDF, 885.63 KB)
• Simplified Workflow (PDF, 729.84 KB)
• Emails and Output Docs (PDF, 1.62 MB)

Thesis Submission support Guides

• Detailed Support Guide (PDF, 3.59 MB)
• Approvals Workflow (PDF, 861.36 KB)
• Emails and Output Docs (PDF, 962.11 KB)

Thesis Distribution and Examination support guides

• Detailed Support Guide (PDF, 2.84 MB)
• Emails and Output Docs (PDF, 928.06 KB)

Thesis Corrections support guides

• Detailed Support Guide (PDF, 2.81 MB)
• Approvals Workflow (PDF, 666.44 KB)
• Emails and Output Docs (PDF, 1.69 MB)

Use contact details to request an alternative document format.

• Contact ANU
• Freedom of Information

+61 2 6125 5111 The Australian National University, Canberra TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12002 (Australian University) CRICOS Provider : 00120C ABN : 52 234 063 906

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P rocedure: Higher Degree by Research: Submission and Examination of Theses

This document describes the thesis submission and examination procedures for the Higher Degree by Research (HDR) programs Master of Philosophy, Professional Doctorate, or Doctor of Philosophy.

• This document should be read in conjunction with the Research Awards Rule .
• In cases where a Delegated Authority is also Primary Supervisor for a candidate, the Associate Dean appoints an alternate individual to be a Delegated Authority under the Research Awards Rules for the purposes of that candidate.
• If at any stage of the submission or examination process an allegation of academic misconduct is raised it is investigated under the Academic Integrity Rule 2021 . Advice is available from [email protected] .

Pre-Submission of Thesis

Oral presentation.

• An oral presentation is a required milestone, which is completed satisfactorily prior to the submission of a thesis. For further details, please refer to the HDR Candidature Progression procedure .

Notification of Intent to Submit

• Two months prior to submission, and after consulting their supervisory panel, a candidate should commence the Notification of Intent to Submit (NOI) milestone containing:
• Candidate name;
• Candidate ID;
• Thesis title;
• Date on which the thesis is expected to be submitted; and
• Confirmation from the Primary Supervisor that the candidate has consulted with their panel
• If the intended submission date changes, the candidate uses the ISIS Manage My Degree eF orm to update their intended submission date.

Early Submission

• A candidate wishing to submit prior to the minimum duration for the program specified in the Research Awards Rule must obtain the approval of the Delegated Authority for early submission, prior to the submission date.

Format - Length

• The maximum length for a Doctor of Philosophy thesis is 100,000 words and a Master of Philosophy or Professional Doctorate is 60,000 words. This figure is exclusive of footnotes, tables, figures, maps, bibliographies and appendices, but appendices must be limited to material necessary in support of the main argument of the thesis.
• Prior to notification of intention to submit, the Delegated Authority may approve:
• A new length for theses in excess of this length;
• An alternate format for expressing the maximum requirement - such as page count - if words are not an appropriate measure.

Format - Content

• The first page of the thesis gives its title, the candidate's name in full and the month and year of its submission for examination. It includes the statement:

"A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor [or Master, as appropriate] of Philosophy of The Australian National University."

• It also includes a copyright notice providing the full legal name of the author, centred at the bottom of the page:

© Copyright by [Candidate’s Full Name] [Year]

All Rights Reserved

• The second page contains a statement signed by the candidate, indicating the extent to which the thesis is their own original work, if the research is conducted jointly with another person, clearly indicates the nature and extent of the candidate’s contribution to the research, and a word count or equivalent.
• Acknowledgments are included in the following pages.
• Third party editorial advice is provided as per the Guideline: Higher Degree by Research - Editing of Theses.
• When third party editorial advice has been provided the name of the editor and a brief description of the service rendered is printed in the acknowledgements as per the Australian standards for editing practice . If the third party editor's current or former area of academic specialisation is similar to that of the candidate, this is also stated in the acknowledgements.
• An abstract of 250-500 words is on the page or pages following the acknowledgement. The electronic version of the abstract must use standard text only.
• A table of contents appears following the abstract.
• A bibliography of works to which reference has been made is included at the end of the thesis. The bibliographical standards applied are consistent with the discipline.

Thesis in Standard Format

• A thesis submitted in standard format is of International Standards Organisation (ISO) A4 size (297mm x 210mm), unless the diagrams, tables etc. do not fit appropriately on this size, in which case it may be printed on ISO B4 size (353mm x 250mm).
• The format of text in a thesis:
• Is double spaced or one and a half spaced. Single spacing is used only for indented quotations, footnotes and bibliographies.
• Is in a font that is easy to read, and no smaller than 11 points for text and 9 points for footnote text. For a digital thesis, it is recommended the use of Arial or another Sans-Serif font. For more information, please refer to the ANU Style Guide .
• All margins are with header and footing settings as 2.5cm from the top and bottom:

Thesis by Compilation

• The format of a thesis by compilation is outlined in the HDR Thesis by Compilation and Thesis by Creative Works Procedure .

Thesis in an Alternative Format

• A thesis is in an alternative format if it consists of, or includes, video recordings, film or other works of visual or sonic arts, computer software, digital material or other non-written material.
• Candidates intending to submit for examination a thesis in an alternative format obtain endorsement from their supervisory panel, and approval from the Delegated Authority about the format of their thesis more than 12 months prior to submission, and no later than 6months prior to submission.

Thesis by Creative Works

• The submission of a thesis by creative works is undertaken as per the HDR Thesis by Compilation and Thesis by Creative Works Procedure .

Use of Confidential Material

• Use of confidential information in a thesis is according to the Use of Confidential or Restricted Information Theses procedure.

Prior to Thesis Submission

• The candidate is required to upload their final thesis to the iThenticate tool in order to generate a Similarity Report. Prior to submission candidates should share their Similarity Report with their Primary Supervisor in order to address any potential academic integrity issues. Once any identified issues are addressed the candidate should generate a final Similarity Report ready for uploading as part of the Thesis Submission eForm process.

S ubmission Process

• The candidate is required to upload one electronic copy of their thesis via the Thesis Submission eForm for access by the appointed examiners.
• The candidate is required to upload an iThenticate Similarity Report (generated via uploading of the final thesis to iThenticate) to the Thesis Submission eForm.

Supervisor’s Endorsement

• The Primary Supervisor confirms to the Graduate Research Office that the thesis is in the correct format for submission and determines whether to endorse submission of the thesis. Where a Primary Supervisor considers that a thesis will experience difficulty in the examination process, they do not endorse its submission.
• The supervisor’s endorsement confirms that the thesis title and abstract provided by the candidate are correct.
• The Primary Supervisor certifies whether to the best of their knowledge the candidate has complied with the University's rules and regulations relating to candidature for the degree.
• The Primary Supervisor reviews the iThenticate Similarity Report and undertakes a final academic integrity check for potential plagiarism. If satisfied, the Primary Supervisor can endorse the thesis submission certifying to the best of their knowledge that there are no identified academic integrity issues.
• If the academic integrity check prompts the supervisor to request further amendments to the thesis due to unresolved academic integrity issues, the Primary Supervisor can request further edits to the thesis to be undertaken by the candidate through the eForm. The candidate will then have an opportunity to re-upload another updated Similarity Report and final thesis for Primary Supervisor endorsement.
• Once the Primary Supervisor endorses the thesis submission, certifying to the best of their knowledge that there are no identified academic integrity issues the Thesis Submission eForm is complete.

Submission without Supervisor’s Endorsement

• Where a Primary Supervisor does not endorse the submission of a thesis and a candidate still wishes to submit, the Primary Supervisor provides a statement to the Delegated Authority indicating why they do not believe the thesis suitable for submission to examiners.
• The Delegated Authority will organise for the thesis to be reviewed by a member of academic staff who is not the Primary Supervisor.
• On receipt of advice from the member of academic staff, the Delegated Authority will:
• Meet with, and provide advice to, the candidate; and
• Provide written feedback from the reader including advice on the suitability for submission to the candidate.
• If the candidate still wishes to submit without the endorsement of their supervisor, the submission and examination process proceeds as per the standard process. The Delegated Authority will recommend examiners on behalf of the Primary Supervisor. Examiners must not be notified that the thesis has been submitted without the endorsement of the supervisor and the University until a final outcome of the examination process is determined by the Associate Dean, and the award of the degree is determined.
• Where a Primary Supervisor, after discussions with the candidate, does not endorse the submission of a thesis on academic integrity grounds and a candidate still wishes to submit, the Primary Supervisor provides a statement to the Delegated Authority indicating why they do not believe the thesis suitable for submission to examiners. This should include a detailed list of potential academic integrity issues that have not been resolved after requesting these to be addressed and the candidate being provided sufficient time to address the issues.
• The Delegated Authority will review the recommendations from the Primary Supervisor in undertaking a further academic integrity check to determine any outstanding academic integrity issues.
• The Delegated Authority will then:
• Decide if the thesis should proceed to examination if they have determined, to the best of their knowledge, that there are no identified academic issues; or
• Meet with, and provide advice to, the candidate if they have determined there are remaining identified academic integrity issues; and
• Provide written feedback outlining any academic integrity issues that are required to be addressed by the candidate prior to submission.
• If the Delegated Authority determines there are remaining identified academic integrity issues in 41 (b, c), the Delegated Authority can return the Thesis Submission eForm to the candidate for amendment or close the form. A new Thesis Submission eForm is then made available to the candidate to enable resubmission once the potential academic integrity issues have been addressed by the candidate as outlined by the Delegated Authority.

Thesis Examination

Appointment of Examiners

• The Nomination of Examiners form is completed once a candidate provides a notification of intent to submit but before they submit their thesis .
• A candidate is entitled to suggest potential examiners to their supervisor, and to provide the names of persons that they would prefer not to examine the thesis. A candidate is not entitled to be informed of whether their suggestions have been followed in the appointment of the examiners.
• Supervisors confirm the expected availability of examiners prior to completing the Nomination of Examiners form.
• A minimum of two external expert examiners who have international standing are appointed by the Associate Dean on the recommendation of the Delegated Authority.
• Three or more examiners may be appointed to provide the necessary breadth of expertise for the research topic.
• Examiners are of international standing in a discipline relevant to the thesis research with some experience in examining theses. International standing may be demonstrated through a number of means including but not limited to:
• Publication record;
• Employment record;
• Contribution to the field; and
• Peer regard and esteem measures.
• If an examiner agrees to their nomination, they are informed of any changes to the proposed submission date. An alternate examiner is appointed by the Associate Dean if the initial examiner is no longer available due to a change in submission date.
• An additional examiner may be appointed by the Associate Dean on the recommendation of the Delegated Authority subsequent to the initial appointment:
• To resolve disagreements in the thesis examination process; or
• In cases where an examiner’s report has not been received for an extended period of time. The examiner has been withdrawn and has been notified by GRO.
• In determining the award of the degree, all examiners reports received are considered.

Conflict of Interest

• Any examiner conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest must be declared to the Associate Dean by anyone who becomes aware of it, and may include but is not limited to:
• Involvement with the project on which the thesis is presented;
• Collaboration with the candidate or members of the supervisory panel within the last five years;
• A close personal relationship with the candidate or members of the supervisory panel;
• A financial or personal prestige interest in the outcomes of the research;
• Ethical, personal, political or religious views that may be in conflict with the thesis or marking process; or
• Ownership of or employment with an organisation directly affected by the research.
• On receiving notification of an actual or potential conflict of interest the Associate Dean discusses the potential conflict with relevant parties, which must include the Delegated Authority, and also includes (but is not limited to):
• The supervisory panel including Primary Supervisor and chair of panel; and/or
• The examiner.
• On the basis of those discussions, the Associate Dean determines whether:
• A prima facie conflict of interest exists and so excludes the relevant examiner from the examination process; or
• That no prima facie conflict of interest exists and allows the examiner to continue in their role.
• If it is unclear whether a conflict of interest exists, the relevant examiner is to be excluded from the examination process
• The rationale for any determination is recorded on the candidate file.

Examination Process

• Examiners of Theses submitted in standard format or as a thesis by compilation, are provided a copy of the thesis and the University guidelines for Examination of HDR Theses, and are requested to examine the thesis and return a report within two months.
• Once a candidate has submitted their thesis for examination:
• Except in the course of an oral examination, an examiner must not knowingly communicate about the research, the thesis or the process of examination directly with the candidate until the thesis has been approved for award;
• Except in the course of an oral examination, a candidate must not knowingly communicate directly with an examiner about the research, the thesis or the process of examination until the thesis has been approved for award;
• In the case of an oral examination communications between the examiner and the candidate will be confined to the scheduled oral examination meeting;
• Supervisors must not knowingly communicate about the research , the thesis or the process of examination with examiners until the thesis has been approved for award;
• Examiners must not knowingly communicate about the research, the thesis or the process of examination with the supervisor until the thesis has been approved for award;
• Examiners must not knowingly disclose the content of a thesis to an external party until a thesis has been approved for award, subject to clause 51;
• Examiners are able to ask for clarification of any material in the thesis through the Graduate Research Office who will seek advice subject to clause 52.
• Communications are subject to any approvals under the HDR Use of Confidential or Restricted Information in Theses procedure.
• The Associate Dean may, at the request of an examiner, nominate a person other than a member of the Supervisory Panel to provide further information about the thesis or, in the case of joint work, the candidate's contribution to the thesis. The Associate Dean or the nominee may seek advice from the Supervisory Panel.
• Examiners make one of the following four recommendations after completing the examination of the thesis:
• that the candidate be granted the award; or
• that the candidate be granted the award subject to corrections or revisions required by the examiners in the thesis to be made to the satisfaction of the Delegated Authority in the electronic copy intended for deposit with the University Library; or
• that the candidate be permitted to submit a revised thesis for re-examination; or
• that the candidate be failed.
• The Graduate Research Office notifies the College when all examiner’s reports have been submitted or otherwise accounted for.
• After consideration of the examiners' reports, the Delegated Authority recommends to the relevant Associate Dean:
• That the candidate be granted the award; or
• That the candidate be granted the award subject to making any corrections or revisions in the thesis; or
• That the candidate be re-examined by resubmission of thesis or re-examination of coursework or both;
• That the candidate be failed.
• If there is no clear recommendation on the award of the degree arising from the examiner’s reports, the Delegated Authority works towards a recommendation drawing on the Higher Degree by Research: Examiners’ Reports Recommendations Guideline . Potential actions may include but are not limited to:
• The appointment of an additional examiner;
• The appointment of a Committee comprising the Delegated Authority and two additional staff of the University with relevant expertise, not including the primary supervisor to consider the original reports received;
• Consultation with the supervisor who may advise on the reports, however not provide a recommendation on the outcome
• Requiring an oral examination
• Before a Delegated Authority recommends that a candidate be failed where all examiners’ reports have not recommended a fail, the divergent reports guideline should be followed.
• A decision may be based on fewer examiners' reports than initially solicited, but no fewer than two, only if the Delegated Authority has made the decision and GRO have removed the examiner.
• The Associate Dean approves the recommendation, or an alternative outcome.
• Examiners do not recommend the award of another degree. On receipt of the outcome of the examination of Revise and Resubmit, or Fail, the candidate may apply to the Delegated Authority for a transfer from the Doctor of Philosophy to the Master of Philosophy. The Associate Dean determines that a candidate be re-examined by resubmission of thesis, or that the candidate not be awarded the Doctor of Philosophy.
• For a thesis by compilation, corrections and revisions normally refer to corrections and revisions to the thesis introduction, conclusion, or linking text, and not to the papers themselves where they have been published, or accepted for publication.
• For a thesis by compilation, papers published or accepted for publication during the examination process should be included in the final version of the thesis.
• Revision and resubmission of a thesis may occur once only for the same degree program.
• Examiners who recommend revision and resubmission of a thesis:
• Specify what is required of the candidate before re-examination, on the understanding that anonymous examiners' reports, in full or in part, will be made available to the candidate by the Graduate Research Office ; and
• Indicate , subject to availability, whether or not they are willing to re-examine the thesis.
• The candidate is given a time limit of one year from the time of notification in which to revise the thesis and submit it for re-examination. A maximum extension of one further year may be granted by the Delegated Authority.
• When a revised thesis is resubmitted for examination, it should not include a separate written response to the original examiners comments.
• Access to examiner’s reports is restricted to the:
• Associate Dean;
• Delegated Authority;
• Head of the relevant academic area;
• Supervisor(s);
• Any members of a Committee appointed by the Delegated Authority to consider conflicting examiner’s reports;
• ANU committees considering the award of prizes for excellence in theses, and;
• Other ANU delegates who require access to the examiner reports for other processes such as academic integrity.
• Anonymous reports must be made available in full or in part to the candidate after deletion of any section of a report an examiner has specified may not be made available to the candidate or which may identify the examiner.
• Where a thesis contains confidential material, or a candidate explicitly requests, the Graduate Research Office will take all reasonable steps to ensure that theses are not retained by the examiners and provided back to the candidate, where relevant.

Oral Examination

• The Delegated Authority may determine that a candidate undertakes an oral examination as part of the thesis examination process in a number of circumstances, including:
• Where an examiner recommends revision and resubmission of the thesis or failure, in order to give all parties maximum opportunity to explore the body of work submitted for examination;
• Where the Delegated Authority intends to recommend a result of fail though not all examiners’ reports have recommended a fail.
• Where the candidate is undertaking an approved Dual Award program which requires an oral examination; or
• Where a candidate was examined orally before being permitted to revise and resubmit the thesis, if an examiner of the revised thesis requests a further oral examination.
• The Graduate Research Office arranges oral examinations except for Dual Award PhD degrees where the examination process is set out in the agreement between the ANU and the partner institution.
• The Graduate Research Office contacts the candidate if an oral examination is required by the Delegated Authority. Examiners provide a copy of the draft reports, and/or specific questions and/or general matters to be addressed by the candidate.
• The Delegated Authority will decide whether an oral examination is to be held in-person or online. If in-person, it should be held at the ANU campus unless otherwise approved by the Delegated Authority. Arrangements for attendance by examiners are made by the Graduate Research Office.
• The Associate Dean, or their delegate, will appoint an Oral Examination Chair.
• An examiner who is unable to be present will be asked to correspond with the Oral Examination Chair indicating any points to be raised. The Chair acts on behalf of the absent examiner and will report the outcome to that examiner and to the Delegated Authority.
• A candidate brings a copy of the thesis paginated in the same way as the thesis submitted for examination.
• The oral examination is undertaken on the substance of the candidate's thesis and on the candidate’s knowledge of its subject background. The conduct of the oral examination will be determined by the Oral Examination Chair. The only persons present are the candidate, the examiner(s) and the Oral Examination Chair. The candidate may request a support person to attend as an observer only.
• The Oral Examination Chair may request to the Delegated Authority that a person other than a candidate's supervisors be present to provide further information about the candidate's thesis (e.g. for clarification or contextual material), or, in the case of joint work, the candidate’s contribution to the thesis. This request is considered by the Associate Dean.
• Examiners' recommendations on the outcome of the oral examination are not communicated to the candidate, either during or after the examination. On completion of the examination process, examiners' recommendations and a report on the examination as a whole are submitted in confidence to the Delegated Authority. On receipt of the outcome of the examination process, the candidate is provided with an anonymous report.

Written examination

• If an oral examination is required and in the opinion of the Delegated Authority, it is not practicable to hold an oral examination, the candidate takes a written examination, set by the examiners of the thesis, covering the field, which an oral examination would have covered.
• A written examination will be invigilated.
• The Graduate Research Office sends the candidate's answers to a written examination to the examiners of the thesis who take them into account in the preparation of their reports.

Thesis Deposit and Open Access

• On approval of the thesis, the candidate submits an electronic copy of the thesis to ANU Digital Thesis Collections .
• The thesis will be openly available in accordance with University policy on open access unless the University Library has been requested to restrict the availability of the thesis in line with any approvals under the Higher degree by research - use of confidential or restricted information in theses procedure and the Intellectual Property Policy.
• For deposit of the digital version of the thesis the candidate provides the thesis in a single file, or alternatively:
• Any files in the original file format used to create the final version of the thesis (including still images, video, sound etc.) .
• Separate files for any confidential material or, if the confidential material is throughout the whole thesis, a separate file for the whole thesis .
• A pdf of all text portions of the printed thesis (excluding any confidential material) .
• A list of all files - and software they were created with - that are contained in the package.
• In the small number of cases where the thesis format will not be able to be presented this way, the candidate should contact the Library for assistance.
• A department may agree with a candidate to the deposit of a further copy of the thesis in the departmental library.
• Unless subject to any copyright requirements as part of a thesis by compilation, candidates retain the copyright of their thesis and make such use of it as they wish.

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Deposit copies of all ANU Doctoral and some Masters' theses are held in the Theses Collection in a restricted area of the R.G. Menzies Building , with the following exceptions:

• Master of Law and Master of International Law theses (presented before October 1987) are kept in the Law Library .
• ANU Honours theses are not usually held by the Library. Individual teaching departments may hold some of them.
• A collection of Law Honours theses is held in the Law Library . Details of these theses can be found in the Library Catalogue or by asking at the Law Library Information Desk.

You can search the ANU Library catalogue to locate ANU theses.  Remember to limit your catalogue search to 'ANU Theses' in the drop down menu next to the search box.

ANU theses are physically located in the Rare Book Room in the Menzies Library. Please note that ANU theses are "Not for Loan' but can be viewed in the library. For further information regarding ANU theses please contact the  Menzies Information Desk  or the ANU Document Supply Service .

Australian & International Theses

• Dissertations and Theses A&I (ProQuest) Indexes U.S. research postgraduate theses from 1861, with theses from other countries now included.
• EThOS The British Library's electronic theses online service which allows you to search across 250,000+ theses for free and order full text.
• Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR) e-Theses ROAR includes links to 100+ sites providing e-theses.
• Trove Research & Reports Trove contains almost a million theses. Some of these are in print format only, others are available online in digital format. To find theses in Trove Research & Reports, enter your search terms in the keyword search box and click the green search button. Then select 'Thesis' from the 'Format' filter options on the right-hand side of the screen. To find Australian theses, tick the ‘Australia’ option under the 'Place' filter options.
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• Programs and Courses

An undergraduate course offered by the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences .

• Code THES4105
• Unit Value 6 to 24 units
• Offered by ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
• ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
• Course subject Thesis
• Academic career UGRD
• Geoff Hinchcliffe
• Mode of delivery In Person
• Offered in First Semester 2023 Second Semester 2023 See Future Offerings

• Introduction

Learning Outcomes

Indicative assessment, inherent requirements, prescribed texts, assumed knowledge, other information, specialisations.

• Offerings and Dates

All ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences undergraduate degree programs have an honours year, and all honours years taught within CASS require the completion of a 24 unit thesis. THES4105 is the honours thesis course for CASS-taught disciplines in:

Classical Studies,

Design Arts,

Digital Humanities,

Language Studies (other than English),

Visual Arts.

Students in this course carry out advanced research on a question of their choice. Their topic is agreed with their thesis supervisor and approved by their honours convenor. Students design and implement a project to answer their research question, to place the answer in the context of an intellectual tradition, and to communicate it clearly to others.

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

• pose a significant research question relating to their discipline;
• investigate this question creatively, critically, ethically, and independently, including through sophisticated use of appropriate theory and methodology as appropriate to the discipline, and place these investigations in the context of the relevant intellectual tradition; and
• communicate their research and its findings through an appropriate medium.
• A thesis is the sole piece of assessment for this course; to successfully complete this course, it must demonstrate all learning outcomes for the course. (See the class summary for more details regarding thesis formats for practice-based research in art, music and design) (100) [LO 1,2,3]

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Not applicable

Requisite and Incompatibility

You will need to contact the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences to request a permission code to enrol in this course.

Completion of a cognate major or equivalent.

• Classical Studies Honours

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees . 

If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place  or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at  Fees .

Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Course fees

Offerings, dates and class summary links.

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage .

First Semester

Second semester.

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• Directories

Theses Reimbursement

Students may be entitled to an allowance for reimbursement of thesis production costs.

Payments are made as reimbursement of the amount specified on original tax invoice(s)/receipt(s), into the student's bank account.

Eligibility

Students are eligible where  a thesis allowance entitlement is expressly stated in the conditions of award.

The entitlement will be lost in the event of withdrawal or termination of the scholarship following the student's inability to continue to meet the eligibility requirements of the scholarship.

The allowance must be claimed within 12 months of submission of the thesis and no more than two (2) years after termination of the scholarship , unless exceptional circumstances can be demonstrated.

A case outlining the exceptional circumstances must be made to the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Graduate Research), before approval for reimbursement can be considered.

Process to make a case: Please email the Graduate Research Office HDR Examinations team via [email protected], with a case addressed to the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Graduate Research) and you may attach any relevant supporting documentation. 

The allowance cannot be claimed prior to submission of the thesis for examination.

Amount of allowance (in the form of reimbursement)

The amount of the thesis allowance is specified in the conditions of award.

Scope of expenses that can be claimed

Direct thesis production costs that can be claimed include:

• Paper or digital media for submitted thesis;
• Professional copying or printing of the thesis; and
• Binding of the thesis.

Costs that will not be considered for reimbursement include:

• Proof-reading/editing costs that do not meet the above requirements; or
• Computer hardware, software or accessories.

Proof-reading/editing costs may be claimed against the scholarship thesis reimbursement allowance if:

• It has been foreshadowed to the HDR Examinations Team, Graduate Research Office ([email protected]) not later than at the time of notification of intention to submit a thesis;
• It is accompanied by a statement on the nature and extent of the proof-reading/editing which is to be carried out;
• It is accompanied by a supporting statement from the supervisor which outlines why the proof-reading editing is necessary and that it has supervisory support;
• Details are provided about the credentials of the proposed proof-reader/editor and that the person's appropriateness (in context of the subject matter of the thesis) to undertake the work; and
• Proof reader provides official tax invoice/receipt stating their Australian Business Number (ABN), hours involved and hourly rate charged.

Responsible areas for claim types

Students who are submitting a claim should forward the required documentation to the relevant area.

• NHMRC, NICTA and APA(I) claims: school finance area.
• ANU Research Scholarships (inclusive of Australian Government Research Training Program Stipend Scholarship) claims: HDR Examinations Team, Graduate Research Office 

Advisory information

• Research scholarship information
• HDR Current Student Scholarship Consideration Form - GRO 2023 (PDF, 704.39 KB)

Legislations

• Research Awards Rule 2021  
• HDR Examinations, Graduate Research Office